princeoftennisfandomcom-20200223-history
Kunimitsu Tezuka/Playing Style
Tezuka is an All-Rounder tennis player, otherwise known as an all-court player, meaning he can use aspects of every tennis style depending on his needs. His dominant hand is his left hand, though he is shown to be capable of playing with his right hand as well and even execute some of his techniques with it. Tezuka's techniques are characterized by his Tezuka Zone, Zero Shiki shots, and the open doors of the Muga no Kyōchi, all of which reflect his national-level skill. Tezuka's Zero Shiki shots and Tezuka Zone, which involve profound ball spin, are highly demanding upon his playing arm and their continuous usuage gradually increases the strain to dangerous levels for Tezuka regarding the match and even his playing career. As the captain and figurative Pillar of Seigaku, Tezuka plays his best to win through a respectful but steely determined extent. This resolve has seen him in his continuing to play to the point where he unfortunately incurs and continues with injury and even risk permanent career-ending injury, as demonstrated in his singles matches and losses against Atobe and Sanada. He also carries this attitude towards his personal tennis training, which has at times contributed to his injury-hindered state and kept him from recovering to his full capabilities. Tezuka is widely renowned as national-level player and is one of the strongest middle-schoolers in the series, attracting elite rivals in Sanada, Atobe, and Fuji, and often was the virtual center of attention of the tennis world such that he was regularly scouted by highschools and professionals, which eventually saw in his professional recruitment by Germany. As shown in Chapter 37 of the New Prince of Tennis, Tezuka's statistics reflect his status as a very skillful player, as he is recorded to have a 3 out of 5 in Speed and Stamina, 3.5 in power, 4 in Mentality, and a maxed out 5 out of 5 in Technique. "No-Touch Ace" A highly fast serve, this serve, while looks like a flat serve, is actually a slice serve. Not only that, he can hit the serve highly accurately in the corners of the service box. Drop Shot (ドロップショット) His mastery of the drop shot, including the Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, is at such a level where it looks just like a regular stroke until he hits the ball. The only (minor) difference between his drop shots and a regular stroke is that he drops the racquet head by 3.2 mm. Zero Shiki Drop (Zero-Degree Drop Shot) (零式ドロップショット) One of the reasons Tezuka is acknowledged as a National-level tennis player, this is a high-level backspin drop shot that, once it touches the ground, it rolls back to the net due to the amount of backspin added instead of bouncing, making it impossible to return once it makes contact with the ground. Zero Shiki Serve (Zero-Degree Serve) (零式サーブ) A variation of the Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, it's a serve that, instead of bouncing, it rolls back to the net just like the Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, due to its incredible spin. This does not give the opponent the chance to even touch the ball. Nitōryū (二刀流|lit. Two Sword Style) The name given to Tezuka's ambidexterity because he can play with either hand. While his dominant hand is his left hand, he is also capable of playing with his right hand. Tezuka Zone (手塚ゾーン, Tezuka Zōn) A (nearly) impossible technique, only 3 people are known to use this technique. This technique forces any shots the opponent hits right back to Tezuka. The reason any of the opponent's returns are "sucked" into his hit zone is due to the large specific amount of spin that is required for Tezuka to add to the ball, which is freely controlled. Tezuka does not even need to move a step; all he needs to do is pivot one foot around the area he is standing in without lifting that foot from the ground, and putting a specific rotation on the ball with every hit. Tezuka Phantom (手塚ファントム) A variation of the Tezuka Zone, instead of sucking the ball towards Tezuka, it forces the ball out of bounds. However, the amount of spin the Tezuka Phantom requires to even make the ball out in singles is six times greater than the spin used for the Tezuka Zone, which puts a very heavy burden on Tezuka's arm, and consecutive uses of this technique may result in Tezuka re-injuring his arm or being permanently sidelined. Muga no Kyōchi (無我の境地, Muga no Kyōchi, trans. "State of Self Actualization") Tezuka has been revealed to have unlocked Muga no Kyōchi prior to his entry into middle school.A state in which the user naturally intakes all techniques he sees and can perfectly copy them. However, its weakness is that the ability to copy the opponent comes from the body, not the brain, and as a result, wears out one's body out further than usual since most techniques are beyond what a person can execute.Though,he was never shown to copy another's technique in this state, and he has never used Muga no Kyōchi by itself. Muga no Kyōchi has three doors, but Tezuka has unlocked two of them by the end of the Nationals Arc. However, in the New Prince of Tennis Manga series, he unlocks the last door. They are: :Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami (Pinnacle of Hard Work) The first door of Muga no Kyōchi that Tezuka has opened, he focuses all of the energy of Muga no Kyōchi into different parts of his body, increasing the capabilities of that body part. :Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami (Pinnacle of Great Wisdom) The second door of Muga no Kyōchi that Tezuka has opened, he can focus the power of Muga no Kyōchi into his brain, which allows him to be able to tell how many shots the current rally will take and who will win the point, giving him a form of foresight. :Teni Muhō No Kiwami (Pinnacle of Perfection) This is the ultimate door and final door of Muga no Kyōchi that Tezuka opened in the New Prince of Tennis Manga, in his match during the Team Shuffle between Court 3 and Court 5, he unlocks the Teni Muhō No Kiwami (which is noticed by Seiichi Yukimura) against former Seigaku captain, Yamato Yūdai in the U-17 Team Shuffle match between 3rd Court and 5th Court. U-17 Stats Speed - 4.5: He has the speed of a top class athlete, but he is unable to travel at unbelieveable speeds. Power - 4: When he activates Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami, he is able to exhibit astounding power. However, his own playstyle is not very powerful. Stamina - 4: Because he strictly regulates himself, the stamina of his cardio-vascular system is not a problem. However, in a drawn out match, parts of his body will tend to scream out. The only thing he needs to do is work on the stamina of his burdened elbow. Mental - 5: He is the type that can sacrifice his body nonchalantly. Once he conquered his yips, he acquired a steel will. Technique - 6: With things like his Zero-Shiki shots and Tezuka Zone, He stands above the rest with skills that can send his opponents into despair Kurobe Memo: Of course, I had intended to have him flourish within the 1st String, however it can't be helped since he withdrew from the camp. It'll only be a matter of time for him to reach the top level of the pros. Category:Character Subpages